Northern Arms join their friends in BUSSES at Johnny Brenda’s for the latter’s record release show tonight. The former is currently working on a follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut at Miner Street Recording. The local ten-piece have mastered the art of darkly cinematic songs, taking the best bits of Arcade Fire’s dramatism and pairing it with Angelo Badalementi’s suspense. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ with Tinmouth can be found here. Watch “What You’ve Got On” below.

South Philly’s The Naked Sun are facing Friday the 13th head-on by playing their first show of the year at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville tonight. The last time we caught them live was back in December with friends DRGN King, Brian D.A. Strouse and Kalob Griffin Band at Sofar Sounds’ Christmas show. Adorned in “ugly” holiday sweaters and surrounded by twinkle lights and garland, the roots rock band filmed a live video of “Cosmic Winds” taken from their debut EP Space, Place and Time. Check out the video below and get more information for tonight’s show with The John Hufford Band here. Stay tuned for announcements about their next release.

For their most recent installment of the Cover Club series, local music blog Root Down in the Shadow welcomed acoustic folk singer, Brad Hinton. Hinton is no stranger when it comes to covering songs by other Philly artists. He is the organizer for Philly Sings Philly, an event that takes place each week in November which has artists from around the Philly area cover each other. Hinton has been covered during both Club sessions and Philly Sings Philly sessions, so it only seemed natural that he received a Club series session of his own.

In the video below, Hinton is joined by Katie Frank of The Pheromones to perform a cover of Tin Bird Choir’s “Take Me With You When You Go.” On his own, Hinton’s vocals achieve a clean, crisp sound and the addition of Frank during the choruses adds another layer to the song that really gives it that folky-bluegrass affect.

Watch the full Cover Club video below and don’t miss Brad Hinton perform live this Saturday at Steel City Coffeehouse alongside Bethany Brooks.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark have been around since the late 70s, garnering critical acclaim as masters of new wave and earning the title “intelligent pop” from the release of their self-titled 1981 full length. Except for a small gap in the 2000s, the group has been consistently releasing material since the late 70s, including their most recent release, English Electric, which came out this summer. Tonight, the godfathers of new wave play Union Transfer. Click here for ticket info and check out one of their classic hits below.

Local folk-outfit Tin Bird Choir have just released an official video for their track “Sea Change.” The charming tune is straight off of Tin Bird Choir’s forthcoming record, Homesteady, due out July 2nd. Like what you hear? (and see?) Then be sure to catch Tin Bird Choir on July 14th at Upper Merion Township’s Concerts Under The Stars series for Helen Leicht’s Philly Local night. Find more info here, and watch the “Sea Change” video below.

XPN welcomes California band Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) to The Blockley tonight. SIgned to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, ALO create a laidback, jammy brand of surf rock / pop that has bound them to other Johnson-fan favorites Donavon Frankenreiter, Matt Costa and G. Love. In 2012 ALO released their seventh studio album Sounds Like This. Tickets and information for tonight’s 18+ show with Ryan Montbleau Band can be found here. Watch an acoustic performance of “Storms & Hurricanes” from the new album below.

Denison Witmer celebrates his album release at Johnny Brenda’s tonight. The self-titled record is Witmer’s ninth and most personal effort since the start of his career fifteen years ago. Recorded at his Brooklyn studio The Honey Jar (co-run by Philly native Devin Greenwood), the Lancaster-born musician called in friends Sufjan Stevens and Greenwood for creative collaboration, though the stories told on the album’s ten tracks are purely Witmer’s. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Soporus can be found here. Below, stream and download “Asa,” a song named for Witmer’s young son.

New Sweden head down to Phoenixville for a show at Steel City Coffeehouse. The Wilmington five-piece enthralled a Saturday morning audience at the 2011 Noncommvention with their rootsy, robust folk rock and they’ve been climbing the proverbial ladder ever since. With two Tri-State Indie awards on the shelf and a buzzy appearance at SXSW earlier this year, the local band hasn’t slowed down one bit after the release of their debut LP The Mountain. Tickets and information for tonight’s show with The Turnips can be found here. Watch New Sweden perform “Frying Pan” below.

The Hooters and Good Old War play a hometown show at The Electric Factory tonight. An institution in the Philadelphia musical cannon, The Hooters got their start in the 80s with hits like “All You Zombies” and “And We Danced.” In recent years, members of the band have sparked their own projects, with drummer David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket and vocalist / keyboardist Rob Hyman’s Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken. Good Old War, a trio that is becoming a local institution in their own right, returns to the stage in support of 2012′s Come Back As Rain while working on material for a new album. Tickets and information for the all-ages show can be found here. Below, watch The Hooters’ video for “And We Danced” followed by Good Old War’s “Amazing Eyes.”

Local pop / rock band Fooling April will celebrate the release of their new album Nothing Left to Prove with a free show in NYC next week, and they’re kicking off the milestone event by offering some free downloads from the record. Nothing Left to Prove is Fooling April’s fourth full-length since 2004, following up 2009′s Three. The four-piece will bring the fun back home on May 31st for a show at Steel City Coffeehouse. Tickets and information can be found here. Listen to “Leading You Wrong” below and download all three songs on Fooling April’s Bandcamp page here.

Dark Americana band Wovenhand headline Johnny Brenda’s tonight. Frontman David Eugene Edwards began the alternative folk / punk project in Colorado when his previous band, 16 Horsepower, was on hiatus. The quartet has since released six studio albums, with the most recent offering being 2012′s The Laughing Stalk. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Wrekmeister Harmonies can be found here. Stream the title track to The Laughing Stalk below.

The “First Lady of Country Music,” Loretta Lynn, will be gracing the stage at Keswick Theatre this evening. The Appalachian songstress’s last album, 2004′s Van Lear Rose, is one of more than sixty studio records Lynn has released since her first #1 hit in 1967, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin (With Lovin’ On Your Mind).” Tickets for tonight’s all-ages performance can be found here. Below, check out Lynn’s performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Low Cut Connie will be performing tonight at Johnny Brenda’s promoting the September release of their sophomore album, Call Me Sylvia. The band’s rollicking party music is carried by poppy melodies and sharp lyrics that make any bar scene the best party in town. The 21+ show starts at 9:30; more information can be found on our concert calendar here. Check out the band’s new video for “Boozophilia” below.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

The Appleseed Cast took to the stage Wednesday night to a sold out crowd at Johnny Brenda’s. Guitarist Taylor Holenbeck addressed the group a few times, joking about the abundance of body heat in the room; he encouraged everyone to … Continued

Alternative country musician Jason Isbell will perform at the Electric Factory this evening with Blake Mills. Isbell played Newport Folk Festival this past weekend, performing tracks from his latest release Something More Than Free and from 2013′s Southeastern as well. The … Continued

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH